The Search for Paradise
by WeasleySeeker
Summary: Things aren't going well for Ginny Weasley, and when Draco Malfoy finds her, isolated and broken, he tries to fight an overwhelming desire to protect her. Are they too stuck in their old ways, or can they find happiness together? Drabble collection.
1. protect

They hadn't been near each other since Hogwarts. And he didn't know why, but when he saw that usually fiery redhead sitting, alone and vulnerable, drinking straight from the bottle of Firewhiskey, at a table in the corner of the Leaky Cauldron, he felt an overwhelming desire to protect her.

He didn't show it, though. He was a Malfoy.

"Scarhead not here then, Weaselbee?" he drawled from behind her.

Ginny jumped, startled, drawing her wand. Then she relaxed when she saw who it was. "Oh, it's you, Malfoy," she said disgustedly, stowing her wand back inside her pocket. "Why are you talking to me?"

Draco smirked at how easily she'd lowered her defences. "Because there's nobody else here, and I'm bored. Now answer the question."

Ginny took another deep swing from the bottle. Draco noticed that her eyes were red from crying. "He broke up with me, if you must know," she told him reluctantly. "Still can't take the fact that I can look after myself and I don't need him watching my back all the time. We just couldn't stop arguing about it. _What_?" she demanded, seeing Draco's smirk widen.

"Oh, nothing," he said quickly, but after a glare from Ginny, he added, "Just that at the moment, it looks to me very much like you _do_ need looking after." He eyed the bottle in her hand and reached for it lazily. "I think you've had enough of that," he told her patronisingly.

Ginny snatched the bottle away from him, clutching it to her body protectively. "You can't tell me what to do, Malfoy," she snapped, taking an even bigger gulp from the bottle. "My life is hell right now. I don't need you on my back as well."

He looked at her pityingly. "You've changed, Weasley," he observed.

"How do you mean?" she demanded, colour flooding her face.

Draco considered. "Well, the Weasley I remember wouldn't ruin herself like this. She'd get up and carry on, and show Potter what a strong, independent woman she can be, even without him. But it's your choice," he said, shrugging.

Confusion flickered across Ginny's face. "Why do you care?" she asked slowly.

"I don't," he told her simply. "Well, I have better things to do than listen to whiney old blood traitors. See you around, Weasley." He got up and walked out, leaving Ginny, stunned, alone in the corner as he'd found her.

He'd lied. For some reason, he did care. He really did.

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**A/N: This is for the Romantic Drabble Challenge on HPFC. Draco/Ginny has been a guilty pleasure of mine for a while now, so I'm glad I've finally been given the chance to write them! **

**Reviews would be much appreciated, especially since this is my first foray into the D/G world!**

**Disclaimer: I am not nearly as talented as the wonderful woman who created Harry Potter.**


	2. scars

For once in her life, Ginny found herself taking Draco's advice. She went home, sobered up a bit and then got in the shower and had a cry. But when she got out of there, she promised herself that she would never shed a tear over Harry Potter again.

Their separation didn't last long, though. After a couple of weeks, Harry had come back to her and apologised, promising not to tread on her toes any more and to let her be her own person. He missed her, and although she didn't want to admit it, she missed him, too.

But for some reason, when they got back together, it just wasn't the same as it used to be. Harry couldn't induce the thrill, the buzz that Ginny had got from being with him in their younger days. It wasn't that he broke his word - like he promised, he didn't do anything to restrict or hinder Ginny. But she just wasn't feeling their relationship any longer.

The scars were still there. They were trying to pretend that nothing had happened between them, but the truth was that it had. They couldn't erase the past. Harry wasn't the same man that Ginny had idolised at school. There was no getting past that. And Ginny had grown up since those days.

Draco's words kept on echoing in her mind. _The Weasley I remember... she'd show Potter what a strong, independent woman she can be, even without him. _She didn't need Harry any more. She didn't need a hero to cling onto. She wanted to make her own way in the world.

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**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. A little bout of writer's block and loads of other things to write, haha. I hope it was worth the wait. :)**


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